This invention relates to an internal-combustion engine which is encapsulated in a sound-insulating manner and which has an oil pan which is attached to the engine block by means of a sealing gasket. The gasket has folds which permit relative displacements between the engine block and the oil pan during operation of the engine. The gasket is held at a lower zone of the capsule as a component thereof, while the capsule itself is affixed externally of the engine, for example, to a vehicle chassis or body.
An internal-combustion engine of the above-outlined type, disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,186,714 issued Feb. 5, 1980, provides that neither the oil pan, nor the sound insulating capsule need be rigidly affixed to the internal-combustion engine, even when the engine, during operation, executes displacements relative to its environment (such as a chassis in case the engine is installed in an automative vehicle). According to the embodiments described in the above-noted patent, the oil pan forms an upwardly open shell (that is, a shell open towards the engine) and the sealing gasket has to be of such a dimension that it extends over the entire length and width of the oil pan. This requires that the sealing gasket be affixed by a large number of uniformly distributed bolts to the flange of the oil pan for achieving the required sealing effect at all locations.